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![Show Contents]() Kays History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The surname Kays is derived from the Breton and Old Welsh word "Cai," and the Cornish word "Key," both of which meant "wharf." This name became the Middle English given name Kay. Some instances of this surname are no doubt derived from the Old English "Coeg," which meant "key." 1 Early Origins of the Kays familyThe surname Kays was first found in the Pipe Rolls for Northumbria where Britius filius Kay is listed there in 1199. Cecilia de Kay was in the Pipe Rolls for Gloucestershire in that same year. Another early record in the Pipe Rolls is of John del Cay in 1207 in London. John del Cai was Sheriff of London in 1201 and may be the same person as the aforementioned Pipe Roll entry. 2 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list a Jordan Kay but the Yorkshire Poll Tax records of 1379 has the most entries of the time: Robertus Cay; Alanus Kay; Johanna Caa; and Willelmus Ka. 3 One reference claims a more romantic origin of the name: "the family of Kaye is of great antiquity in the county of York, being descended from Sir Kaye, an ancient Briton, and one of the Knights of the warlike Table of that noble Prince Arthur, flower of chivalry!!" 4 "The property [of Thornton in Craven in the West Riding of Yorkshire] belongs to various families, the principal owner being Sir John Lister Kaye, Bart., lord of the several manors." 5 "Kay or Kaye is the name of an ancient and distinguished family of Woodsome in the West Riding [of Yorkshire], one of whose members received a baronetcy from Charles I. The Kayes are now best represented in the Huddersfield district of the West Riding, whilst the Kays are more numerous in Lancashire. As far back as the 13th century we find this name, both as Kay and Kaye, in Lincolnshire, Hunts, and Cambridgeshire. 6 Early History of the Kays familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kays research. Another 173 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1219, 1246, 1372, 1480, 1500, 1506, 1510, 1572, 1573 and 1640 are included under the topic Early Kays History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Kays Spelling VariationsSpelling variations of this family name include: Kay, Kaye and others. Early Notables of the Kays familyNotable amongst the family at this time was John Caius or Kay sometimes called the Elder (fl. 1480), an English poet and author of an English poem relating the history of the siege of Rhodes unsuccessfully undertaken by Mahommed II in 1480. His book "was printed in London in 1506, but has no printer's name, and although some of the type resembles that used by Caxton." 7
John Caius (1510-1573), "occasionally referred to as John Caius, junior, in order to distinguish him from another John Caius [q. v.] who was poet laureate to Edward IV, was an eminent scholar and physician of...
Another 102 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Kays Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Kays RankingIn the United States, the name Kays is the 11,048th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 8  Migration of the Kays family to Ireland
Some of the Kays family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 37 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Kays migration to Canada | + |
Some of the first settlers of this family name were: Kays Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century- William Kays, aged 21, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "Ward" from Limerick, Ireland
| Kays migration to Australia | + |
Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include: Kays Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century- Richard Kays, aged 29, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Velocity"
| Contemporary Notables of the name Kays (post 1700) | + |
- Vernon W. Kays, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Illinois, 1952 9
- Thomas Kays, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New Jersey, 1876 9
- Henry Thomas Kays (b. 1878), American Democratic Party politician, Member of New Jersey State House of Assembly from Sussex County, 1913-15; Member of New Jersey State Senate from Sussex County, 1919-24 9
- Ellis Carl Kays (b. 1890), American Republican politician, Mayor of Petersburg, Indiana, 1939-43; Chair of Pike County Republican Party, 1941-44 9
- Blanche A. Kays, American politician, Member of Michigan Prohibition Party State Central Committee, 1947-51 9
| Historic Events for the Kays family | + |
SS Atlantic - Ann Kays, who was traveling aboard the ship "SS Atlantic" when it struck rocks off Nova Scotia in 1873, died in the sinking
- Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
- Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 6) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
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Kays migration to Canada 
Kays migration to Australia 
England
Scotland
Ireland
